FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

TUESDAY - February 10, 2009

CRACK SUPPLIER SENTENCED

RALEIGH - United States Attorney George E.B. Holding announced that in federal court here yesterday United States District Judge Terrence W. Boyle sentenced MARK ALLEN HOWELL, 26, of Erwin, North Carolina, to 72 months’ imprisonment followed by five years supervised release.

A Federal Grand Jury returned a Criminal Indictment on June 11, 2008. On November 12, 2008, HOWELL pled guilty to possession with intent to distribute a quantity of cocaine base (crack) and a quantity of cocaine and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. On May 17, 2006, officers with the Greenville Police Department arranged a controlled buy. The individual that the drugs were being purchased from stated that he had to obtain the crack cocaine from his supplier, HOWELL, before the meeting. After officers witnessed the individual’s vehicle at HOWELL’s residence, a traffic stop was performed on the vehicle. HOWELL, a passenger in the vehicle, had a loaded .25 caliber handgun on him along with 3.9 grams of crack cocaine and 2 grams of cocaine. HOWELL was arrested the following day.

Mr. Holding commented: “I want to commend the investigators handling this case. These types of prosecutions are the result of the close working relationship forged between federal, state, and local officials.”

Investigation of the case was conducted by the Pitt County Sheriff’s Office and the Greenville Police Department. Special Assistant United States Attorney Glenn Perry was the assigned Prosecutor.Mr. Perry is a prosecutor with the Pitt County District Attorney’s Office.District Attorney Clark Everett has assigned him to the United States Attorney’s Office to prosecute federal Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force criminal matters.This has been made possible by a grant funded by the Governor’s Crime Commission.

News releases are available on the U. S. Attorney’s web page at www.usdoj.gov/usao/nce within 48 hours of release.